The UEFA Super Cup 2016 was a particularly memorable experience for two young disabled fans, who were selected as player escorts for the match.

Eleven-year-old Sayed Ali and ten-year-old Ismail Jamal accompanied the Real Madrid and Sevilla captains onto the pitch ahead of kick-off.

Sayed and Ismail both live in Norway with their families but are from Afghanistan and Syria respectively.

This year’s UEFA Super Cup, an annual match between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, took place at the Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway. Real Madrid won the match 3-2 after extra time. After the match, Real Madrid defender Marcelo presented Sayed with the boots he had worn during the game.

Earlier in the day, Sayed and Ismail also met with captains Sergio Ramos and Vicente Iborra before joining the players for the pre-match ceremony.

CAFE Managing Director Joyce Cook said, “It was lovely to see Sayed and Ismail take to the pitch alongside some of Europe’s most well-known players. This is a great example of the unique power football has to change lives, and I’m sure Sayed and Ismail will remember this experience for a long, long time”.

The pre-match ceremony brought together the UEFA Foundation for Children and Handicap International to launch a worldwide campaign around disabled people living in areas of conflict and disaster zones.

To find out more about Sayed and Ismail’s experience at the UEFA Super Cup, visit http://www.uefa.org/social-responsibility/news/newsid=2395638.html?rss=2395638+Special+escorts+for+team+captains.

Published 11/08/2016

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